Working together to build peace

Kofi A. Annan

“You have the right to make your voices heard…not only can you participate, you can lead. As individuals, you have power.”

Former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan was interviewed by Ahmad Fawsi, former Communication Advisor and Chief Spokesperson for the High Commissioner for Refugees. During the interview, Kofi Annan spoke about his constant fight for peace across the world and shared his ideas and tips for successful peace negotiations.

Geneva Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at the Palais des Nations on September 21, 2017.

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Kofi A. Annan

Kofi A. Annan was the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations and is the founder and chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation. In 2001, he and the United Nations were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace. He set up the Kofi Annan Foundation in 2007 to mobilise leaders of all sectors to provide leadership where it needed. The Foundation works on the premise that there can be no long-term peace without development and no sustainable development without peace. Mr. Annan chaired the Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security and in January 2013, launched the West Africa Commission on Drugs, as a response to the surge in drug trafficking and consumption in West Africa and their impact on security, governance and public health. He is an active member of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders who work together for peace and human rights, and in 2013 was appointed its Chair.

“And as paradoxical as it may seem, one of the functions of my unit is to protect the leaders of the FARC. Today we lend such protection to those we sought before, to those we fought before, to those we considered enemies before, and I can tell you that it is possible… reconciliation is possible.”

Brigadier General Pico Malaver of the Colombian National Police spoke about his 33-year career working in the police force, his experiences living through years of conflict and his involvement in the peace talks in Havana with FARC. BG Pico Malaver was keen to emphasize that reconciliation is possible, no matter what the circumstances might be.

Geneva Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at the Palais des Nations on September 21, 2017.

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Hassan Ismail is the focal person for Interpeace’s Kenya Programme in Mandera County. In the Geneva Peace Talks 2017, Hassan talked about his life journey experiencing clan conflict in his childhood, becoming a teacher and now working as a peacebuilder. Hassan invited viewers to look beyond the two sides of the coin and looking at the third side to learn to trust each other, particularly in areas of conflict in order to build peace in our communities.

Geneva Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at the Palais des Nations on September 21, 2017.

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Sonja Stojanović Gajić, the Director of the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, a leading Western Balkan security think tank, spoke about her path towards research on security, which can help create knowledge and understanding to reconcile communities after war. She described how first-hand research and information from opposing parties are necessary to build sustainable peace.

Geneva Peace Talks 2017. Recorded at the Palais des Nations on September 21, 2017.

Join the Peace Talks Community on Facebook and follow Peace Talks on Twitter.